Printers, such as thermal transfer label printers, are well known in the art for printing labels. In a typical thermal transfer label printer, a label and a thermal transfer printer ribbon are compressed between a print head and a roller and fed together past the print head. The print head produces sufficient heat in the appropriate locations to transfer the ink from the ribbon to the label to print a label.
The labels produced by the printer are then applied to the wires being labeled by hand. Applying a label to a wire by hand has many drawbacks. Namely, attempting to apply labels to wires, especially small diameter wires, is time consuming, is inaccurate in that it is difficult to place the labels in such a way that the labels are square and aligned on the wire, and is inefficient in that it is difficult to properly and evenly secure the entire label to the surface of the wire.
Label application mechanisms are available that automatically apply tape and preprinted labels to cylindrical objects, such as bottles, cans, and the like. These systems typically require the object being labeled to be conveyed past the applicator mechanism in order for the mechanism to apply a preprinted label. A finishing device can then press the label to the object. However, these systems are designed to be used with large diameter cylindrical objects such as cans or bottles and none of these systems can be used or be easily adapted to be used with elongated, flexible objects of small diameter such as wires, wire bundles, and non-cylindrical objects. In addition, these systems also have other inherent drawbacks and problems.
Application of a label onto a cylindrical object having a relatively small diameter, such as a wire, presents a host of problems. For example, if the label is skewed as it is dispensed toward the wire, or the leading edge of the label is loose from the wire prior to wrapping, the wrapping mechanism can adhere to the adhesive on the label which can jam the wrapping mechanism. The jammed wrapping mechanism must be cleared before wire labeling can continue.
Known mechanisms that apply labels onto wires have problems keeping the initial adhesion of the label to the wire during the wrap cycle. Most labels used for wire application are of a self-laminating type, meaning that the label has a fairly small printable area followed by a clear tail that wraps around the printed portion of the label to help secure the label and to protect the printed area from the elements. Moreover, when the label is separated from the web and transported to the wire being wrapped, the label can become skewed and jam the mechanism.
Second, it is advantageous to label a wire proximal the end of the wire adjacent an electrical connector for easy identification during installation or trouble shooting. Known wire label applicators cannot apply a label proximal an electrical connector because of the diameter difference between the wire and the electrical connector crimped onto the wire end.
The above applicator mechanisms may receive a label from a printer without manual intervention, however, the above mechanisms do not appear to include an integrated wire applicator mechanism that prints and wraps a label onto a wire using a method that avoids many of the problems inherent in the known devices, such as described above. Therefore, it would be advantageous if a wire applicator mechanism could be designed that eliminated the problems of skewed labels, labels being pulled off of wires during wrapping cycles, and inability to wrap a label proximal a wire end. It would also be advantageous if the wire applicator mechanism can print and dispense a label in a way that would eliminate the forces created by the tail of wire labels being removed from the web.